[vindrider2626]

Great place valaprai and it is not known to people in kerala or tn that much.All the land is owned by estate groups and so there is dearth of good accomodation.It is not a good idea to visit valparai in monsoons because the place is infested with lot of leeches and it is quite impossible to venture out without getting bitten by one of them,but the place is too beautiful in the monsoon to visit too.There has been cases of leopard attacks recently increasing so not safe to venture out in the dark.

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by vindrider2626

Great place valaprai...... dearth of good accomodation.It is not a good idea to visit valparai in monsoons because the place is infested with lot of leeches and it is quite impossible to venture out without getting bitten by one of them,.... cases of leopard attacks recently increasing so not safe to venture out in the dark.

That is precisely the attraction of places like Valparai. Wild & beautiful. It remains beautiful because there is not much for 'tourists'. I hope it remains that way forever. As for leeches & leopards; it is their home. We are the 'intruders' and we should be ready for meeting them occasionally. If you are a nature lover, a leech bite will be part of the fun of going to a place like Valparai. If leeches put you off, you'll be better off in Ooty or Kodai don't you think? Besides, you'll have plenty of accommodation to chose from.

[Wheels]

Plan to travel from Athirapally to Pollachi with 2 kids and spouse during day time, plan to start at Athirapally by 12pm. Is Athirapally to Sholayar dam road fine for 4 wheelers? Is there any things to be planned in advance like getting permission from forest dept online?

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by Wheels

Plan to travel from Athirapally to Pollachi with 2 kids and spouse during day time, plan to start at Athirapally by 12pm. Is Athirapally to Sholayar dam road fine for 4 wheelers? Is there any things to be planned in advance like getting permission from forest dept online?

No advance permission required. But the road is pretty bad for about half the distance

[Wheels]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

No advance permission required. But the road is pretty bad for about half the distance

Between which section the roads are bad? Is your road update based on your recent trip or from reliable source? Is the road surface completely broken? I may trade-off some bad patches (30%) for the great scenery it may have? Is the scenery in the route worth taking this pain?

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by Wheels

Between which section the roads are bad? Is your road update based on your recent trip or from reliable source? Is the road surface completely broken? I may trade-off some bad patches (30%) for the great scenery it may have? Is the scenery in the route worth taking this pain?

The last section before Malakkappara is bad. Broken pretty badly. Had taken this road about a month back

Cant comment whether the tradeoff is worth it - to each his own. Personally, I would take it, since this goes through some dense forests and it is not every day you get an opportunity to drive through them. There are no stunning sceneries since it is all just tropical semi evergreen forests. And if you are lucky/unlucky you may sight few elephants too

[Wheels]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

The last section before Malakkappara is bad. Broken pretty badly. Had taken this road about a month back

Sholayar to Athirapally is 2.5hrs drive. Is the bad road running for 30min drive (assuming normal speed as obvious in hill drive)?

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

And if you are lucky/unlucky you may sight few elephants too

I've just searched our forum on driving tips (Wild Elephant crossing roads & tackling techniques??). Equally thrilled and cautious (being a family trip)!